CREATIVE CORNER

Creating the Perfect Halloween Look at Goodwill

Halloween season is upon us and that means it’s time to dress up. Today, more and more people are choosing to embrace DIY costumes. A survey conducted by LoveCrafts.com in 2020 polled 1,500 Americans and found that 65% preferred making a costume to buying a pre-packaged ensemble at a big box store. Making a costume is a good way to have fun and put your creative skills to the test. There’s no time like the present to get started and Goodwill has you covered!

Halloween is Goodwill’s biggest season. This year people have visited Goodwill as early as August to find the perfect pieces for their costumes. Marketing Specialist Desi Pappas says that in keeping up with the trends, the team at Goodwill has really embraced a culture of DIY costumes. “One of the ways we do that in our stores is by having costume coordinators in each of the store locations. Coordinators can help people shop for the items that they need or the costumes that they want to create,” Pappas says.

If you need more assistance, Goodwill has created a Halloween look book available online and in Central Florida stores. The look book features Halloween costumes that you can create from items in store. There’s also a supplemental page for each costume that shows all the pieces needed to complete a desired look.

Whatever your desired look might be, a DIY costume from Goodwill can save you between 20-50% compared to finding one at a big box store. You will also avoid matching everyone else at your Halloween festivities. Bonus: Help support Goodwill’s mission of building lives that work with your purchase.

According to Kim Praniewicz, Vice President of Marketing and Mission Advancement, more than 90% of revenue goes directly to mission services like job placement programs, job skills training, vocational rehabilitation and more. “We employ over 1300 people within 6 counties here in Central Florida and provide prosperity planning for all our employees and community members.”

Additionally, when you shop or donate to Goodwill you help reduce landfill waste. “Just last year alone we kept 18.9 million pounds out of local landfills and we’re on track to do more than 20 million pounds this year, so that’s another benefit of our mission to build lives that work,” Praniewicz says.

So, remember, Goodwill has you covered. You can enjoy shopping for your Halloween costume all while giving back to your community.

To learn more about how you can create your perfect costume this spooky season, visit Goodwillcfl. org. You can also visit one of the 30 retail stores across Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard and Volusia counties.